Herta’s F1 superlicence request formally rejected
Red Bull was considering placing IndyCar race winner Herta into a race seat at sister team AlphaTauri as part of a deal that would have seen Pierre Gasly switch to Alpine.
Despite finishing third and fifth in the 2020 and 2021 IndyCar championship and winning seven races, Herta does not hold the sufficient points required to be granted a superlicence, which is needed to race in F1.
Red Bull hoped the highly-rated 22-year-old American would be granted special dispensation in order to make his F1 debut in 2023, but such a scenario seemed unlikely.
The FIA confirmed on Friday evening that Herta will not be given a superlicence.
“The FIA confirms that an enquiry was made via the appropriate channels that led to the FIA confirming that the driver Colton Herta does not have the required number of points to be granted an FIA Super Licence,” read an FIA statement.
“The FIA continuously reviews its regulations and procedures, including with respect to Super Licence eligibility, with the main factors being considered with respect to this topic being safety, experience and performance in the context of the pathway.”
Herta is now expected to see out the final year of his contract with Andretti in IndyCar next season.
Red Bull had already moved on from the prospect of signing Herta and are considering other options, with Nyck de Vries thought to be top of their list following his super sub outing for Williams at the Italian Grand Prix.
Gasly is under contract for 2023 and will stay at AlphaTauri if Red Bull cannot find a suitable replacement.
AlphaTauri confirmed on Thursday that Yuki Tsunoda has been retained for a third campaign.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
